It would be a lie if I said I’ve always been a fan of the teeny tiny Blythe counterparts – Petites. Maybe it’s the fact that their eyes don’t change colour, or the fact that they’re super small, or even the fact that I can’t readily find shoes for them. And really, if I can’t easily build a large shoe collection for them – what’s the point? Plus, not a lot of clothing options are available for them because there’s not a lot of people who sew for them (or knit, or crochet). That includes me. I find that I craft a lot more clothing options for my full-sized Blythes than I do my Petite or Middie dolls. This isn’t the say that I craft often for them, just that when I do, it’s not for the Petite or Middie… The tiny size just doesn’t make it easy to craft for them!

My first Petite that I have was a gift from a wonderful person who then became a wonderful friend. You may know her as the person who sends out Wubba Chickens out into the world to make new dolly friends. This is Pip (short for “Pipsqueak”) and she’s probably been in this exact same outfit for well over a year now.

My second Petite has only been with me since Sunday (November 10th) and she is also my first NRFB Petite and my second LPS Petite. I still haven’t managed to get my hands on a Takara Petite, and there’s a very specific one that I still have my eyes on… But regardless, the newest dolly addition in my house is “Cold Weather Cute”, otherwise referred to as “#B1” – which I’m guessing makes her the first LPS Petite produced? Needless to say, that’s pretty awesome! But “Cold Weather Cute” may be the least imaginative (or cool) name ever… It’s almost as if Hasbro decided to take lessons from CWC when it comes to naming stock girls!

Readers, I’m pleased to introduce Shrimp. If I continue to add to my Petites clan, they will all be getting “tiny” names – I’ve always wanted to go with themed doll names, and the Petites are a great way for me to start since it’s much too late for me to do that with the Neos, and I only have one Middie at this time (and acquiring more LPS Petites would be infinitely less expensive than acquiring more Middie Blythes). Something tells me that if I’ve taken to naming dolls things like “Pipsqueak” and “Shrimp”, I should probably not be allowed to name real human children or other mammals.

I’ve found that I’ve grown more fond of Petites, the more that I see them in pictures and Petites are a fantastic size to have a stealth Blythe on you without making it easy for people to notice… It’s much easier to hide a Petite in a bag than it is a Neo!

This is my birthday doll! She is a Hi-Ho Marine Blythe, RBL+ mold. I will be deboxing her on my actual birthday and I’d like for her to have some kind of name when the time comes. Here she is!

Do you have any suggestions for names? Do you have a Hi-Ho Marine yourself? (What did you name yours?)

My other dolls have the following names, for those who are curious and want to give suggestions for this new lovely sunshiney-yellow doll: Sophie, Belarus, Tertiary Jane, Bennett, Eden Mouse, Kindred, Emmalynn, Moxie, Molybdenum (Mollie), Primrose, Lillian (Lily) Rose, Halo, Cedar, and Kitty Brighton.

Happy Halloween!

I hope all of your little ghouls get bags full of candy and are generous enough to share with you!

Are the twins spooky enough? They’re hoping that the dead of night will make them frightening for small children!

There are a lot of different words that can be described the activity of playing/collecting Blythe. The easiest way to explain it to people who are (mildly) freaked out by the big-eyed, big-headed dolls is to call it “Well, you see, I collect Japanese dolls, they’re modern versions of this doll that came out in the 70s”. See, once people find out that something is vintage, it makes it all better. Vintage is very “in” these days.

I’ve come across people who can be very negative when it comes to adults who say that they “play with dolls”. Which is why I’ve since changed it to “collecting dolls” and then further elaborating about how they’re Japanese dolls. It seems so much more socially acceptable when the dolls are more exotic, or expensive, or just collectible. Online, my favourite way of how people talk about playing with Blythe is the word Blything. I don’t know who came up with it first, but it is the most entertaining one that I see online quite often. I’ve even found myself using it verbally at doll meets on occasion! I like calling it “Blything” to other doll people. To people who aren’t “into” Blythe, it’s “collecting” because it’s a lot easier than explaining everything.

No matter what you call it though, they all have the same definition: the act of enjoying, playing with and collecting the lovely dolls that we know as Blythe.

What do you call it?

With the fast approaching BlytheCon, I couldn’t help but think about how my circle of doll friends has expanded since I started this website back in 2010 and when I met Blythe people in person for the first time in 2011. It was hard to make friends at first because I’m rather shy (it’s hard to tell shyness via something like the internet), but since that I’ve made so many more friends via Blythe.

How can you too expand your circle of doll friends?

• Find local doll collectors – either via social media (e.g. Facebook) or the forums – post about looking for people in your general area
• Attend a Blythe meet, if possible
• If you’re traveling, post about going to the general area and see if others are willing to meet you
• Ask someone if they know of a doll collector in your area, word of mouth can help a bit

I have a lot of fun attending local doll meets, because it means seeing ‘new’ dolls. I cannot express how much fun it was to see a Red Delicious in person just last weekend. If she could be the only anniversary doll that I ever own, I would be very happy with that because she’s gorgeous.

Benefits to knowing doll people and seeing them in person:

• Getting to exchanging sundries
• Seeing new-to-you dolls in person
• Getting your ‘fix’ of experiencing new dolls

Go out there! Meet some new people! How often do you see local dolly people in your area? Mine meets nearly once a month.